Dream to be Airborne
by DarkSuperTails
Summary: Skye can't fly like his dad can. But with some motivation from his best friend's predicament, he can learn to reach for the sky, the same as Tails can. Mobius 25-30 years Later fanfic.
1. Part 1

**Fanfic based on "Mobius 25 Years Later" and "Mobius 30 Years Later" from Archie comics. Skye and Melody Prower, Manik the Hedgehog and Mina Mongoose belong to Archie Comics, while other characters originally belong to SEGA **

**Story is (C) to me.**

**Part 1**

"Haha, come on Skye! You gotta be better than that if you want to keep up with the son of Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Boasted a young pre-teen with chrome colored blue fur, a wild smirk, and colorful emerald eyes. Tearing through the thin path of the woods like it was child's play, the young boy glanced back now and then; though he was ultimately sure his victory would be absolute at this point. Unlike Sonic, Manik took winning more seriously.

In the fading distance, but not completely out of sight, was another young mobian boy. He had bright orange fur, light blue colored boots, and a nervous and slightly annoyed look. Panting harshly, his lungs feeling as if they were lit on fire, he continued to sprint as fast as he could through the forest after the blue hedgehog that was his best friend.

"Come on!...Why is it so hard? Manik's not even as fast as Sonic…and I've been training for so long!" The boy thought to himself, his eyes glancing at the ground he passed over every second. He shook his head forcefully and growled, though it was light and more cute than threatening. "No!...Come on! I can do it!"

As if shot out of a cannon, Skye Prower gained a second wind. Adrenaline warmed his insides, he regained his initial momentum, and his lungs caught their breathe. His light blue eyes never left Manik, and by the time he could make out features on the boy, he smirked to himself and began to think-with the mind of his great father.

"He's faster than me. But speed doesn't win a race. Sure he can beat me if we're going straight, but if I can do better than him around corners, I can slowly catch up. Good thing I can at least keep from falling behind."

And as he watched, upcoming was the perfect chance to beat Manik at his own game. The narrow path led straight to a boulder outcropping, in short, a ten foot wall. If he could just stay close, when Manik took time to go around it, since he was cocky and didn't feel he needed to be careful, Skye could use the rest of his energy to clear the rock, tackle down Manik, and therefore win their game of "ultimate race-tag." Skye smirked, pumping his leg muscles as far as they would go, and watched Manik like a hawk.

Manik chuckled to himself and looked back once more at his foxy friend. The boy was actually a little closer than last time. The hedgehog raised an eyebrow, and although some of his cockiness fell, he was still proud for him a little. But, he wasn't about to let Skye see that. Turning back around and seeing the large rock approaching him faster and faster, he nodded to himself and chuckled.

"So, that's how he wants to do it huh?"

"…?"

Skye blinked in confusion. Manik was slowing down! He didn't stop, but only went faster, even as he got more and more confused, watching the blue hedgehog lean back against the rock, facing the approaching fox.

"What are you doing!" Skye panted and yelled at the same time, only about one hundred yards away.

"*whistling*" Manik paid no attention, rubbing his hand on his chest to remove imaginary dirt.

Skye wasn't sure, but he had a bad feeling about this. His desire to beat his speed demon-friend drove him forward, faster and faster though. His heart was pounding, his eyes were cold from the rushing air, and his lungs were exhausted again. Fifty yards…twenty yards…ten yards…and then, Manik jumped.

SMACK

With a loud whack, the fox boy went from almost twenty miles an hour to flat zero miles an hour. He fell flat on his back, groaning slightly and blinking as he stared up at the blue hedgehog-who at the last second, had jumped up onto the top of the boulder. Manik shook his head and chuckled.

"Come on Skye, you're smarter than that, dude! If ya see me doin something like that, hehe, ya gotta know it's gotta be a trick!"

"Manik!" Came a loud, shrewd voice. Manik made a violent jump in the air, and then his heart sank the moment he realized who it was. His heart sank as he watched a tall, long red haired squirrel emerge from the trees. She wore a long purple robe and a small golden crown on her head, keeping her long hair from going in front of her eyes.

"M-Mom! W-What are you doing here?"

Sally Acorn, mother of Manik, wife of Sonic the hedgehog, and current Queen of the entire Knothole Kingdom, walked over majestically to the fallen Prower boy. She paid no attention to Manik for a moment, and fussed over Skye. Her voice turned sweet and caring; like that Skye's own mother often gave him.

"Honey, are you okay?" She asked, putting a hand behind his head and gingerly picking him up. Thankfully, Sally knew a few things about injuries, and the only thing she could see wrong with him was a slight nosebleed. She picked up and held the boy, and then her eyes turned back to her son. An absolutely livid stare met up with Manik's nervous face, and he began sweating from every pore.

"Manik! How many times have your father and I gone over this!" She said forcefully, not quite yelling, but this was worse. Manik's ears drooped and he rubbed his arm.

"Umm…a lot? Hehe…" He rubbed the back of his head, and Sally growled slightly to herself. Looking down to Skye, she cleaned up his nose.

"Come on hon, let's go find your mom and dad."

"M-mom's at her concert, but dad's home, I think." Skye said softly, his head still ringing from the impact. Sally nodded, and then gave one more look at Manik.

"You're father's hearing about this."

Manik groaned, then jumped down from the boulder and followed his mother and Skye out of the woods, pleading to her to not tell him about the incident.

-

"Manik, you know speed isn't something to always brag off about."

"Yeah dad, I know, but-"

"Skye simply isn't anywhere as fast as you-you can't pull things like that. You got him hurt, and I'm pretty sure you knew there was a high possibility that he would get hurt in the first place."

Manik stood defeated and pathetic before his father, the King of Mobius, Sonic the Hedgehog. His emerald eyes were calm but authoritive, and he wore a long flowing red cape along with a shimmering gold crown. His arms were crossed, and for once, his mouth was not in a grin, smirk or smile.

"…"

"Sonic, there's no harm done, and it's clear he's sorry. Don't you think we can all move on? While I'm slightly upset my son got hurt, they are boys after all. The same as we once were, if I'm not mistaken."

Another deeper voice stated. Sonic turned and blinked a few times at his old friend. His first friend. The boy genius who had helped the Freedom Fighters and all of Mobius more than they ever dreamed. Miles "Tails" Prower stood indifferently a few ten feet away from the royal hedgehog family, one arm around his son, who had his head in his father's side.

Sonic's eyes stayed wide and he stared at Tails silently for a long time, before he closed them and uncrossed his arms.

"You're way of parenting may be different than mine Tails, but Manik needs to hear this. This isn't the first time he's caused Skye an "accident", and I'd like to make sure this time, is also the last time."

Tails said nothing, nodded, and looked down to his kit. Patting his head, he smiled and lifted the fox onto his shoulders.

"Thank you for your time, Your Majesty."

Not another word, and Tails' footsteps were the only sound to echo through the main hall as the large oak doors shut behind them, leaving Sonic, Sally and Manik to themselves. Sally was the only one who watched the door after it closed.

"Dad…"

"Hmmm?"

"I'm okay, really…"

Tails let out a sigh, and went over how to phrase the situation to his eight year-old son in the easiest and most direct way possible in his mind. As the two walked down the brightly lit dirt road that lead to the fox's house, he firmly held on to Skye's legs and looked up into the cloudless sky.

"I know you are, and I think Sonic knows it too. But coming from our perspective bud, this isn't the first time you've been hurt while playing with Manik and Sonic doesn't see it as to having an end unless he does something to stop it."

Another silence as Skye looked down past his father to the ground beneath their feet. Skye sighed and held on to his father's neck for support; more than just physical support.

"I don't want Manik to think he can't play with me because he's afraid I'll get hurt, and that then Sonic will get mad at him."

Tails just smiled to himself, and as they reached the front door, he placed the boy down next to him and unlocked it with his key. Not saying anything, the two entered the main entry way.

Before them lay a massive living room that the entry way lead into. It had three stair steps that lead down further into the TV area, where the couch, two chairs, and coffee table were. Beyond that, on the direct opposite side was the large kitchen. As Tails liked to call it, "Mina's domain." To the left was a hallway leading to the bathroom, and the upstairs that lead to another bathroom, and both the kids' bedrooms. And to the right of the living room was a shorter hallway that had Tails' and Mina's bedroom, and a guestroom.

"Yo! Hey dad! Skye!"

Both fox's smiled as the powerhouse of the family jumped up into view from on the couch. Melody Prower was the elder female child, and unlike Skye, was outgoing, loud, and completely self-confident. She often saw herself as Skye's protector, since he was often timid and shy, and not able to fully protect himself. Like her mother, she had her looks, and super speed.

"Hey there, you!" Tails grinned, running over and tackling her onto the couch and tickling her. She laughed, but easily attacked him back, eventually being able to push him off completely. He laughed as he was pushed to the other side of the couch.

"Heh, got some power to that speed and personality too, I see."

Skye turned his attention to his boots, and took them off and then silently joined his father and sister on the couch. He was looking at his bare pawed feet when Tails moved next to him, but continued talking to Melody.

"Mel, Skye's a bit upset. He got hurt again while playing with Manik, and Sonic got more or less irritated with him."

Melody blinked and looked past her father, seeing Skye and examining him for herself. She smiled wide and jumped past Tails and fly-tackled the orange kit into the side of the couch. Smiling wide, she held him and swung him back and forth in her arms as if he were some plushy she had wanted for a month.

"Come on Skye! Cheer up! You've seen Manik; he's more energetic than Sonic these days. He can survive anything his old man throws at him!"

Skye couldn't help but giggle a little, his ears flattening as he was man-handled by his big sister.

"Umm, well, I know but, I don't think he-hehhehe! Hey! Stop! That tickles!" He giggled, as her fingers began irritating his sides. The mongoose smirked wider and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really?" And another moment later, Tails got the benefit of saving his electric bill some money. Watching his kids wrestling and playing around with each other was just as fun as watching any new episode of "Nova", or the Science Channel; not too mention it was always ten times more heartwarming.

Admits the yells of someone poking someone else too hardly, or tickling too much, there was a sudden knock at the door. Tails' ears perked and he muttered something, before getting up and walking to it. Firmly opening it, he immediately lowered his head and back up again. Sally was there, still in her royal purple robe, a blank and unsure look on her face.

"And what do we owe this honor, Queen Sally?" Tails said grinning. But Sally only rolled her eyes and playfully punched her old surrogate son in the shoulder.

"Oh come on, it's always going to be Aunt Sally to you, boy."

Inviting her in, he closed the door behind her and the two made their way to the couch. Melody ceased torturing her brother, and they two sat back on the couch respectfully. Tails laid back and got comfortable as she sighed and looked at the coffee table for a moment before speaking.

"…I apologize for Sonic earlier. He's been quicker to the ruler on things involving misbehavior lately, especially in the family-"

"Hey, hey, no one is blaming Sonic for anything, Sally. I'm not mad, I'm only happy Skye is okay, and that no harm is done."

Sally nodded, but sighed again, leaning back into the soft brow couch as well and rubbing her temple.

"That's only half the problem. When it comes to Skye and Manik, he get's completely authoritative; I think it's because though he hasn't tried to retain his friendship with you, he still loves you as his best friend and brother. He see's your kids as something he shouldn't mess with, but to give the utmost respect. So when his son does these sorts of things, he-"

"Then I'll have a talk with Sonic at some point, okay?...You've got enough things to worry about besides me and my family. I can take care of things, Sal, I'm not a little boy anymore after all."

Sally finally looked up from her mid-trance and smiled. Hugging the fox before getting up, she smiled to the kids and made her exit, pausing at the door.

"Sonic has made it strictly clear to Manik that he isn't to use his speed advantage when playing with Skye. Manik threw a fit, but Sonic wouldn't have it." She stopped for a moment. "I look forward to you visiting us again, Miles."

As Tails returned the goodbye and the door closed, he reflected on his past childhood for a moment, and the blinked for a few moments, realizing something. He turned to Melody and gave her a confused look.

"Wait, where'd Skye go?"

"It's not his fault!" Skye growled, throwing a few of his pillows, blankets, and even his beanbag around his room before letting himself flop onto his bed where he bounced a few seconds before becoming still. His mind was full of irritation, and he almost had the courage to tell Sonic himself that it wasn't Manik's fault that Skye got injured at times, it was his.

"…Rrrrrr!..." He flipped over and store at his ceiling, sighing as he listened to the faint sound of footsteps, and a knock on his door. "Come in." He grumbled.

Tails peeked in, and then smiled a little at the boy, and the cute attempt to vent his anger of pillows strove around his room. He walked across the threshold, and sat down at Skye's feet. He looked the kit in the eyes, and he stared back.

"What's wrong?"

Skye scoffed and turned around onto his side, facing away from his father and now staring at the half-open door to his bedroom. Melody was standing just out of view, listening to every word.

"What's wrong is it's my fault I keep getting injured because of Manik, not his!"

For a moment, Tails raised an eyebrow, but he still smiled. His arms lay in his own lap, but he had a sneaky suspicion he would need them in a moment.

"Your fault? How's it your fault?" Skye remained silent, and Tails chuckled. "So, you think it's your fault that he did something. Alright, come here. I think I know what the problem is." He said gently, opening one arm and inviting the kit to snuggle with him. Often something Tails used to calm the boy down physically when he explained things to him when he became upset.

Skye turned over, and after a moment, leaned back up and moved over into the fox's body. He rested his head against the side of Tails' belly while Tails stroked his hair, and remained quiet.

"You're saying it's your fault, because you're comparing you and Manik to me and Sonic." Tails stated simply. Skye looked up and said nothing, and waited for him to continue, but Tails looked back down at him. "Am I right?"

"…Maybe." Skye said softly, making Tails chuckle and fully pull the fox into his lap.

"You see that Manik is the spitting image of Sonic, and has his speed and agility. You then look at yourself compared to me, and although you are smart like me, you don't have one thing yet that I do. Yet, anyway."

He gently rubbed the ends of Skye's twin tails, and the kit's eyes widened as he sniffed a little. His nose tingled, and a few moments later, he found his eyes starting to water. The fact that his father figured all of this out so quickly, something that had been bothering Skye for months made him feel both relieved and pathetic.

"Y-yeah…" The kit sniffed, as Tails smiled to himself and held Skye in his arms. "I just…I can't fly like you! I tried so hard and I couldn't even do it, I just spin my body and run into things every few seconds...and so I tried running faster, and it's still not enough to keep up with him!"

Now sobbing, Skye clenched his eyes and pulled himself into a ball in his dad's lap, sniffing and dripping tears onto the top of his knees. Tails remained silent for a moment, but then his ears perked. The faint sound of a door opening somewhere in the house. The older fox smiled, and so did Skye, as he jumped up from his father's lap and tore out the bedroom door, completely nullifying his sadness for the moment. All of this of course could only mean one thing.

Mom was home.


	2. Part 2

**Part 2**

Mina Mongoose was a star, and had been since she was a kid. Most people would have never thought her and Tails would have gotten together, but once they went out once as teenagers, everything clicked for the both of them. She, like Tails, had been looking forward to a family for a long time-with Tails, she had found just that.

She was wearing a dark turquoise dress with a purple belt that matched her hair, which she had started cutting to chin length a few months previously. Her deep blue eyes were sparkling with both relief of finally being home, and love, as both her kids ran out to meet her.

"Awwwww, hey there! Oh, and Skye too! Isn't this a surprise!" She exclaimed gleefully, as both Melody and Skye ran out to meet her. As both kids seemed to fight over who got to hug her the most, Tails took his time walking out into the living room, smiling bright at the sight of his wife again after an entire day.

"Hey hon, welcome home."

Mina gave her husband a sentimental look, and then chuckled, holding her arms open after maneuvering the kids to the sides of her.

"Come on, you! There's plenty of room!"

And the family embraced for the first time in a day and a half. Skye was the first to break away, the excitement of his mom was starting to fade already, and his previous thoughts returned to him. He began moving away shyly, and both his parents noticed it this time. Tails only watched him, but Mina, unaware of the situation, gave her son a worried look.

"Honey, what's the matter?" She began, and then smiled as he glumly sat on the couch and lay down. "I got those special dessert treats you like before I came home!" Before she could go sit with him, Tails put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a "I'll explain in a bit" look. Mina nodded, leaving it to Tails, and went about her business in the kitchen, putting things away, as Melody helped her.

"...Skye, if you want to prove to Sonic that he doesn't need to worry about you and Manik, then maybe it's time we tried to learn how to fly again," Tails said. "laying around and thinking about it won't get you very far after all, will it?" He chuckled, sitting down next to the boy and gently stroking his hair again. Skye didn't move. "I didn't master it right away you know, sure I practiced a lot as a little kid, but it took a while before Aunt Sally or Sonic would let me fly around freely. And an even longer time before they thought I was good enough to use it in combat with them against Eggman's forces."

Skye suddenly became interested again. He sat up and looked at his father curiously and full of wonder. Was there hope for him after all?

"So, did you try anything to get better when you practiced...besides just trying?" He asked hopefully. Tails blinked, and laughed.

"You mean, 'techniques'?"

"Yeah, those!" The elder fox laid back into the couch, as his mind traveled more than 30 years previous. As a kid, Sonic was supportive of Tails' ability, often saying it was the boy's own "Do it, to it" ability. As for ways he had practiced to first master it, only two things came to Tails' mind. They worked for him, but would they work for Skye? A glimmer came Tails' eye, and he looked over Skye carefully, thinking.

The kit gave a nervous look, but also an impatient one. He store at his father as he watched him and smirked at him. What on earth was he thinking? Had he thought of something?

"Well dad?..."

"Yeah...there is something."

The prower family house was by the woods, near the beach, and in a key location of the neighborhood all at the same time. On one side, was the beautiful view of the neighborhood, and in the distance a short ways, Castle Acorn. The backyard was tremendous, and though there were no swing sets or play things since Tails believed in playing with each other was a better way to have fun, Skye spent a lot of his time out there-especially in the summer when it was hot.

Tails was the first to talk outside and feel the soft air blow across his face, making his bangs dance ever so slightly. He sniffed the air and moved out onto the porch, then promptly sat down on one of the wooden benches. His sky blue eyes watched his kit son as he too walked out onto the deck, looking over the backyard and then to his father, still unsure of how this would help him. Tails smiled and winked.

"This is our new training ground."

Skye blinked, and then looked at the backyard again. He almost laughed, but his dad appeared to be completely serious. Again, he looked to his father for direction, and Tails looked over the yard as if it were something to be taken seriously. Skye sat down on the bench next to him-like a baby chick always followed its mother.

"There's enough space back here, it's private, and I like it back here." Tails explained. "It's also flat, so nothing to get in the way." He then got up from his spot and jumped off the railing, down a few feet onto the shimmering green grass that blanketed the field. Skye took the steps.

"So then…what are the techniques?" The kit asked eagerly. All he got was his puff of hair ruffled.

"I'm getting to it, ok? Just listen to what I have to say first." Tails stated gently. He knelt down so he was eye level with his son, and then looked at him seriously. Skye gulped, almost sweating, and they hadn't even started yet. The elder fox put one arm around him.

"What I'm going to show you is a two step process, that should get you airborne the way I do, and then from there we'll work on speed. Okay?"

Skye nodded and smiled happily, his sweat was vanishing and being replaced by adrenaline pumping through his veins. He felt ready for anything-he not only wanted to make sure no one worried about him and Manik, he wanted to prove himself to everyone as well. The fox watched as Tails walked out about ten feet away from him, and then faced sideways from him.

"Watch." He said, as his twin tails slowly began to turn and turn clockwise, faster and faster, until the grass blades for almost fifteen feet behind him began blowing in the artificially made, natural breeze. Soon enough, his tails became a blur, a helicopter's blades, but smaller, and sideways. Tails placed his foot behind him and squatted a little, as if he was about to run.

"WHAA!" A moment later and Skye was thrown off his feet. He went tumbling in a ball across the lawn, and then quickly regained his footing to see what his father was doing. The older fox as a mid blur himself; he was dashing across the yard in all directions, zigzagging through at high speeds, sending fallen leaves from the trees around the house flying into the air as he passed them.

Skye was left near speechless-he knew his father was fast enough to keep up with Sonic, but he didn't know he could do this as well. He was trying to learn how to fly, but this seemed almost better.

As Tails came to an abrupt halt in front of the boy, the speed, sound and wind force all hit the two of them, making their fur wave one last time, before everything was silent and still. Skye was speechless.

"That is the first step to our 'training'." He said, and that was all. He then patted the boy on his head, and sat on the middle step of the porch, getting comfortable and watching him, waiting to give him directions on how to do what he had just displayed.

Skye felt his stomach churn. Could he really do that? He was determined to make his father proud of him, but he didn't know if he could ever achieve speeds of that level. He ignored his thoughts, and began desperately spinning his tails, and once they went as fast as he could make them go, began to sprint around the yard.

The main difference was the tail spinning speed, Tails thought, as he watched Skye run around the yard, tails spinning more or less cutely than what Tails had done. You could still plainly see Skye's appendages spinning, where as Tails were a blur. This meant there were now three steps to do. He needed first to get Skye to build up his tails' strength, and in doing so, be able to spin them faster and for longer periods.

"Alright, come here." Tails asked, smiling happily, as he looked at his feet resting on the wooden step. Once he saw Skye's shadow in front of him, he looked back up. "What we need to do is get your tail spinning speed up faster. That's nowhere near enough the speed you need to get."

Skye's ears fell as he heard the news. More training. He sighed and sat on the step next to him, feeling his father's eyes watching him still.

"But…how do I do that?"

Tails remained silent for a moment, and then put his hands on his knees, stood up and stretched a little. He crossed his arms and looked down at the boy.

"Doing exercises with your tails of course. Not just speed, power."

Skye looked down at his shoes for a moment. He thought of Knuckles, Sonic and his father's friend, guardian of the Master Emerald, who could punch through stone like it was a wall made of bubbles. At was at this thought, that his ears suddenly perked up sharply, and another overflow of determination hit him.

"…Alright! Will you stay out here and watch me?" The kit asked excitedly. Tails winked and gave him a thumbs up.

"You think I'd want to miss out? I'll stay here, and you can exercise as much as you want, but on three conditions." He waited for Skye's full attention, before he held up three fingers. "One: You take fifteen minute breaks every hour or so. Two: When your mom calls for dinner, or she needs something from me, we go in temporarily. Three: Your bed time is still ten." At the last one, Tails grinned as the kit gave a long groan, and they both laughed.

Therefore, it was like that for several days. For two weeks, Skye put his heart and soul into training. He went outside from noon until eight-thirty, and Tails watched his son exercise and slowly but surely his tails grew stronger. After the first few days, Tails changed Skye's training from simply hard exercising to running and strength exercising. As his tails got pure strength, they got faster at spinning as well. After a week and a half, Skye was on the breakthrough to speeds near what Tails was capable of, until one morning...

"DAD! Haha! Come look! Look at me!"

The commotion of high pitch laughter and joy coming from outside was compelling, and not only Tails, but Mina and Melody as well. They rushed out onto the deck blanketed in the afternoon sun, and there was Skye, almost a blur as he darted around the yard as swiftly and with even more grace then what Tails could normally do at even his best. The three were near speechless, but a moment later the blur hit the bottom step of the porch, and laughing and smiling, Skye flew headfirst into his father and the two fell over laughing.

Tails became silent as Skye got off of him; he stroked the kit's cheek and gazed into his young face, pride and joy for his son's achievement lit all over his face.

"You're...incredible. You want to learn the final part yet? Or do you want to take a little break first?"

Tails didn't need to ask; Skye jumped off of him, and the two headed off onto the lawn as Mina and Melody both watched, wrapped in attention. Tails stood in front of Skye, knelt down, and took hold of his shoulders. He was still smiling, but tried to retain some seriousness as the fox readied himself.

"I want you to go at it like nothing before!" Tails yelled as if he were a professional coach, but still grinning as he pushed down on Skye's shoulders. He knew this would be the easiest part of all. With his tails and body strong enough, he just needed to gain a head start, and that would be all there was to it. "Spin those tails and try to break through me! Come on!"

Skye smirked and did so. In no time flat, his tails began spinning like propellers, leaving his sister and mother to clap and cheer in the background. Tails continued to push down, as the pressure from Skye's kinetic energy being created from his whirling tails began to push his father forward. Tails shook his head and smiled wider.

"That's it! Keep pushing until you can-WHOOSH"

Before Tails could even finish his sentence, Skye quite literally bowled him over. And as Tails was sent onto his back, he watched with overflowing pride, his son begin to dominate the air and sky above their house, backyard and a little bit of the forest surrounding it. This was how Sonic and Sally felt when he could help them out in the field, he thought. He got up and simply crouched, resting his hands on his knees as he watched the boy yell with both joy and accomplishment. Mina and Melody ran out onto the field as well, sharing more vocally than Tails, but equally as proud.

After a long while, Skye came back down, and it was only on good instinct that Tails caught him as the boy somewhat tumbled out of the sky and into his father's arms. Tails chuckled.

"Seems we need to work on landing's a bit, huh?" He said, letting the boy get off of him before he got up and rubbed the grass and dirt off of his own bright orange fur.

"Haha, yeah! Did you see! I...I can do it! I did do it! Dad...I'm so...I've never been so glad I have two tails!" Skye exclaimed, his eyes getting watery as he hugged his father around his waist. Tails shook his head and barely stopped himself from sharing the intense tears of happiness as well, as he grabbed the boy around his midsection and picked him up.

"And I've never been as proud of you as I am right now."

Skye sniffed and buried his face into the fox's shoulder, as Tails held him there and patted his back softly. And it was only a moment later afterwards, that Skye picked up his head again and smirked at Tails.

"Hey dad?"

"Hmmmm?"

"...Call Uncle Sonic, Manik and I have a game of race-tag I want you and him to watch."

In a way, it wasn't that far fetched to feel a little bad for Manik. Not only did he have no idea that Skye had come so far this quickly, but he was under the impression that he should take it easy on the fox kit-for fear of his father's wrath if he caused Skye anymore accidental harm. So even as Manik and Skye got to the starting line, and their parents and a few friends gathered on the sidelines, Manik was already nervous, while Skye smirked confidently. A reverse of roles since only two weeks previous.

Watching from those sidelines were the king and queen themselves, Tails, Mina, Melody and a few of Sonic and Tails' old friends as well. Tails had apparently requested Sonic personally invite more people than just themselves to make things more interesting.

"Alright..." Melody announced over the Smalltalk from everyone. She then walked to the center of the two boys and raised her hand. Tails and Sonic stood by each other on the closer side to Manik. The elder fox smiled and gently nudged the hedgehog in his side.

"So, ready to be astounded like I sounded over the phone?" Sonic chuckled, then winked back.

"Well, if it's anything TOO amazing, I may just have to tell the media I did it instead!" He said grinning cockily. Tails rolled his eyes and nudged him harder.

"Pffft, oh that was bad."

As the two laughed together for the first time in a while, Skye and Manik store down the long opening path of the "racetrack". Melody raised her arm higher, and then looked to both her brother and her "cousin".

"Alright you guys! Ready?"

"You know it!" Manik exclaimed, giving a thumbs up.

"Mhmm!" Skye added, before melody swung her arm down a few anticipating moments later.

"GO!"

In a flash of dust, the two kids vanished from sight, and the adults and kid quickly covered their eyes as it settled. Sonic was the first to regain himself. He looked at Tails with a somewhat clueless expression.

"So um, how do you plan on us watching them?"

Tails winked and took out a small remote control with only two buttons on it. He pressed one, and from nowhere a large silver orb with a gleaming robotic eye in the center hovered over the small crowd of spectators. Tails pressed the other, and it turned, and shot off in the direction of the boys. Sonic blinked.

"Oh. That's no fun! I thought you and me could keep up with them!" Tails shrugged.

"Nice thought, but I don't want either of them to become distracted by our observation. This thing is silent, and my guess is they won't even notice it from the altitude it'll be looking from." Sonic nodded, but still shook his head.

"Techno nerd of mine till the end."

Skye's heart was racing right along with his feet. Adrenaline and anticipation to show off his ability was eating away at his mind. He knew however, that he had to wait until the right moment to launch it-which would most likely be near the end of the race. He could keep up with Manik fine, since the hedgehog would be under the impression he had to go easier than normal on the kit. Besides, near the end of the race Manik would realize he had to go full out anyway-so in the end, it would all be fair.

"Ready, Manik?" Skye asked smiling, three feet to the side of the boy as they both ran along a wide, long turn. Drifting with his feet, Manik hit the corner perfectly, and so did Skye more or less. The hedgehog then nodded and smiled back.

"Why are ya so eager to have everyone watch? You been practicing or something?" He grabbed the top of a boulder in his way, flipped over it, and continued running in the same movement without loosing head with Skye. The fox chuckled innocently and shrugged.

"You could say something like that...yeah."

It was only three minutes into the race, and Skye thought back to the map. He and his father had estimated the approximate time it would take given how fast they would be going-which was based off how fast Sonic was letting Manik go. Twenty minutes, give or take. First came the long forest road; with wide turns, randomly scattered logs, boulders and other obstacles. Then the wide open terrain of field that circled around the forest. And then finally, back through the other side of the woods, and to the other side of the same finish line. A gigantic loop around.

"Woohoo!" Manik yelled, adrenaline obviously controlling the majority of his movements, as like an agile speeding bullet on steroids, he weaved through boulders, logs, tree's and hills without loosing the slightest bit of speed. Nothing in his movements was wasted, and Skye knew he would have to adapt like that too, if he wished to win this. After all, speed alone didn't win a race, and neither did flight.

"...Now!" Skye muttered to himself, as he catapulted himself off of a rock using his tails as a sudden propeller, and barely made it over a gigantic boulder without crashing, or with Manik seeing how he did it. The hedgehog blinked with wide eyes and chuckled.

"Wow! That was a nice move, dude! How'd ya learn to do that it only two weeks?"

Skye smirked again in pride, but said nothing. The two were reaching the large open field, and just ahead Skye could see it. The trees whipping past them were getting thinner and thinner, and the sunlight shooting through the exit took up more and more of the boy's view, until with one moment, they exited the forest.

"*whistle* nice day for a race huh?" Manik said smirking, as slowly but surely he gained more speed, and got farther and farther ahead of Skye. The fox growled. Another straight away, which Manik could beat him in almost any circumstance, even with his speed limitation.

Skye began to debate with himself quickly, as his eyes were blinded by the far off sun, and his fur was cool with the shooting breeze. Should he use it yet? As he and Manik felt a jolt in their stomachs, they began to race downward. A long, soft slanted hill ran down into another valley, and just a while always on the other side of it was the entrance back into the forest.

"Rgghhh...oh man...I don't know when I should use it!" Skye muttered allowed, seeing Manik continue to get ahead of him. But the more he thought about it, the more he lost concentration on keeping up. So he shook his thoughts away, decided to stay up with him until they reached halfway through the end of the forest, and then use his newly gained ability...

Leaving streaks of dust and grass blades flying as he ran by, Manik was nearing the small entrance into the forest, which lay between a pair of trees. A smirk hit his muzzle again as he suddenly made a wild flip around, and began to run backwards. He watched Skye give back a surprised look, as the blue hedgehog, still, retained the same speed.

"Hehe, see Skye? I learned some new tricks as well!" He taunted, vanishing into the forest. Skye kept himself as calm as he could and shot after him, entering the forest as well and starting to observe the surroundings. It had fewer boulders than the first part of the track. Perfect, he thought. The best place to use his new trick. Oh, and what better time to use it when his friend was just at the height of his taunting.

"Oh yeah Manik? That's pretty cool, but you know what's even cooler?"

Manik blinked a few times, then raised an eyebrow as he uncrossed his arms, getting ready to switch back around if need be. He was getting a little nervous-did the kid actually have a trick up his sleeve?

"What?" The hedgehog asked almost obliviously. Skye grinned wide, and with a sudden flick, his tails began to rotate faster and faster, sending loosened earth from behind him flying as they reached full speed. He winked at his friend, and shot off like a cannonball out of a cannon towards him.

"This!"

"What the...! You can fly!"

As soon as his tails gave him that extra edge, Skye was carried with the help of the wind towards Manik; before the hedgehog could respond, the sheer force of wind sent him sprawling off his feet. Skye laughed.

"Sure can! Haha, that trick of yours is pretty lame in comparison huh!"

Manik growled, watching both the kit, and his ego fading from sight. Getting back up on his feet and muttering under his breathe; he took off running, nearly tripping in the process. In a heartbeat he was off full speed again, a trail of thin flame being left behind in his wake. Manik quickly began catching up, but at this rate, and how close they were to the finish line, he might not make it. Winning for pride didn't matter for him, but he didn't want to be made to look like an idiot after taking a fall like that from his friend, who, he thought until now he was always faster than.

"Rrrrr! No way am I losing this one!"

"Come on! Come on! I can do this!"

...

In one mighty crash, both Skye and Manik hit the finish line. Dirt and dust went flying for the second time, and it was only thanks to Tails' machine that they had any chance of finding out who won-because it was clear no one saw it first hand. The dust settled, Melody helped the boy's get cleaned off, and as Tails took down and examined the robot, his eyes lit up as he chuckled. Sonic was first to poke his head next to the fox's, to examine it as well, and to see what was so funny.

"So? Who was it?" King Sonic asked, clearly more interested than in the beginning of the race.

"It's a tie." Tails said plainly, shrugging and rubbing the back of his head as he pressed "rewind" on the video log that was captured, and saw them touch it at the same moment. Sonic, seeing it as well, gave a little chuckle, and then turned to the boy's, who were standing right behind their father's.

"Who won!"

"Yeah!"

Sonic blinked a few times, and then stroked his chin as if deep in thought.

"Hmmmm...how to say this so it's not corny...umm...you both won!" He said grinning.

Manik crossed his arms and shrugged, not upset, but not happy either. He and his father seemed to share similar emotions. Skye, however, got completely excited. To be honest, he didn't think he'd beat Manik, but he was glad to be just as good as him. Turning around and facing his family, the young kit ran over and hugged the first person there-who happened to be his sister.

"Wow! To think you could actually tie with Manik! That was awesome!" Melody cheered, grabbing Skye and twirling around with him. The fox kit giggled and laughed along with her, before wishing it would stop from getting dizzy.

"Whhoooa! M-Melody cut it out! I'm feeling dizzy!"

"Hehe, now Mel, be careful. If you two get a concussion from falling over from dizziness it's all your fault!" Mina teased, crossing her arms and smiling, as Tails put his hand around her waist and smiled with her. They both watched their kids silently, smiling at their happiness. And smiling at their own happiness. Tails turned around and faced his wife head on, putting his arms around her waist and kissing her forehead.

"Come on hon, let them enjoy their fun, huh? You'll be hearing alllll about this for the next month anyway." He said grinning, to which she nudged him and rolled her eyes playfully.

"Well, if you're here, I guess it won't be so bad..." She twirled one finger around his chest fur, and winked back at him. Tails gave a mischievous grin, and the two embraced romantically, as their kids continued to play around in the afternoon sun.


End file.
